Judgement Seat of Christ

Judgement Seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:10-15

The judgement seat of Christ or the “bema” is where Jesus Christ will evaluate the entire life of every Christian alive during the Church Age. (Pentecost to the Rapture of the church) This is not a judgement to see whether or not we enter into heaven. Christians have already been judged at the cross and we are passed the point of condemnation. (Romans 8:1, John 5:24, Galatians 2:20)  Rather this judgement is when God will personally reward us based on our earthly lives. (1 Corinthians 4:5) This judgment  will happen between the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53) of the church and the second coming of Jesus Christ. (Luke 14:12-14, Revelation 19:8)

Bema: A place reached by steps or a platform. In Greek culture; it was where Olympians were awarded their medals. In the New Testament; it was also used to describe the judgement seat of Pilate and Festus.

2 Corinthians 5:10-15

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

·         Phaulos translated “bad” which means worthless or useless describes the mundane, neutral things that we did during our earthly lives that will not carry any eternal reward.

 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Romans 14:10-12

¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of ^[a] Christ. ¹¹ For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

¹² So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

• This meeting is inescapable for all Christians alive during the Church Age.

·         God will ultimately judge our lives so we shouldn’t set ourselves up as judges towards other Christians.

1 Corinthians 3:10

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

·         Each Christian Life will look different but faith in Christ is always the beginning.

1 Corinthians 4:5

⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the ^[a]counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

·         Our reward will personally come from Jesus Christ. (John 5:22)

1 John 2:28

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in Him, that ^[a]when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

·         It is possible that we will be ashamed if we squandered opportunities to serve Him.

Principles to Live By

1)      Make the most of your time to serve Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-16

¹⁵ See then that you walk ^[a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

2)      Never quit serving God because your reward is promised at the bema.

Galatians 6:9

⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

3)      Don’t dwell on past failures but keep your gaze fixed on moving forwards in your Christian faith.

Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already attained,^[a] or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have ^[b]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

4)      Pursue God’s glory above selfishness.

Matthew 6:33 

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The Holy Spirit- Our Promised Helper

The Holy Spirit- Our Promised Helper

John 15: 26 - 16: 15

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to witness and proclaim the gospel

²⁶ “But when the ^[a]Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Convict, sanctifies, guide, teacher, empowerer, comforter, guarantee of salvation, gift, baptizer, commune, witness

The world opposes the proclamation and witness of the gospel.

16 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. ² They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. ³ And these things they will do ^[a]to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. ⁴ But these things I have told you, that when ^[b]the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Jesus promised his disciples that he would sent them the Holy Spirit after he departed

⁵ “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The Holy Spirit convicts people of their need for the savior Jesus Christ

⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He^[a]will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Note: People will be damned if they do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior! (John 8:24)

Digging a little deeper…

The Holy Spirit is God. When a person places their faith in the Crucified and Risen Christ for His/her Salvation; they are baptized by the Holy Spirit and become permanently adopted in God’s Family. This moment in time is called conversion. At the moment of conversion; a person receives Salvation. Salvation is a permanently binding condition that can never end. Not only is the Holy Spirit our entry into Christianity; but He is our lifelong companion in conforming us to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also gifts the believer and empowers them for Christian service and worship. (Gen 1:2, psalm 139:7-10)

A few Holy Spirit pronouns and adjectives: Deity, Divine, Godhead, Creator, Holy, Immortal, Invisible, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Immutable

In the life of a believer: The Holy Spirit gives believers life giving power (John 7:37-39) and is an indwelling presence (John 14:16-17) He guides, communes, teaches, comforts, convicts, gifts, empowers, seals, sanctifies, searches the mind of God. (John 15:26, 27, 1 John 2:27)

In the life of an unbeliever: The Holy Spirit works to bring about repentance (which is inseparable from faith) The Holy Spirit convicts the unbeliever of sin with a desire that the sinner would repent and believe. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ and teaches men to believe on the Son. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is necessary for a sinner to repent / believe. Unbelief and attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the work of Satan is considered blasphemy and will not be forgiven in the age to come.

In our world: The Holy Spirit is the ultimate restrainer of evil in the world. He acts as salt and light in a corrupt fallen world and also restrains God’s inevitable judgment of sin. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

Our reaction to the Holy Spirit: When we obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit; we commune with God and are rewarded in the heavenly. When believers disobey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; they grieve Him. Unbelievers are unable to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit until conversion occurs. (Ephesians 4:30, 2 Corinthians 13:14)

The Holy Spirit in Eternity Future: The Holy Spirit will continue to be God forever and we will have perfect communion with Him when we are glorified. (1 Cor 2:11, 1 Cor 13:12)

The Holy Spirit during Judgment: The Holy Spirit bears witness to the deeds of people and testifies accurately to the truth. The Holy Spirit bears witness that Jesus is the Christ. For believers; the judgement has already passed (John 5:24) for unbelievers; during the great white throne judgement (Rev 2-:12, 20:15) the Holy Spirit will testify accurately and affirm the perfect judgement of Jesus Christ the righteous. (Mathew 12:37)

Testing the Spirit: The Holy Spirit will always affirm the deity and lordship of Jesus Christ and will teach people to obey God’s word and refrain from sin. (1 John 4:1-3)

Worship and the Holy Spirit: We are incapable of worshiping the one true God if we are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is right and proper to worship the Holy Spirit and glorify Him as deity. We should not attribute characteristics that are unbecoming of God to the Holy Spirit since that is the sin of Blasphemy. (Psalm 139:7-10, 1 Cor 2:10-11)

Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is God and deserves all praise, glory, and honor; now and forever; Amen. (Galatians 1:5)

Notes:

Evangelism – sow the seed

Evangelism – sow the seed

Luke 8:5-8

⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.⁶ Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. ⁸ But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded ^[a]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Our responsibility is to sow seed:

The sower in this parable is the evangelist. His duty is to sow seed (proclaim the gospel message) the “seed” is the gospel message:

1)      God is Holy and has already judged sinners because of their unrighteousness

2)      Mankind is sinful, guilty of breaking God’s law, and stand condemned in their sin

3)      Jesus made redemption (forgiveness of sin) possible trough the cross

4)      Mankind is responsible to repent and exorcize saving faith in Jesus Christ to be saved

God will determine the outcome of our sowing based on the different types of soil the seed encounters. The soil represents the heart of the hearer.

1)      Wayside soil – This heart is too hardened by a love for sin and a stubborn self will to receive the truth of the gospel

2)      Rocky soil – This heart responds superficially but only lasts a little while and then fades away when trials come

3)      Thorny soil – These hearts still love the things of this world too much and can’t let go of earthly riches.

4)      Good soil – The heart that abandons sin and follows after God and righteousness instead.

Notes: